by Tish Thawer
My god, that's it! That explains why he was able to fall in love with her despite Meredith's manipulations. Loraine's ability allowed Terrance to retain that connection to his soul, and therefore fall in love with her. He must've always felt at peace when he was near her, which led to him developing feelings for her. In spite of everything, it was a blessing that Loraine had been the one Terrance had targeted. If it'd been anyone else, we would have lost him for sure.
I smiled and thanked him for his kind remarks, and silently sent a thank you to Loraine as well.
"Evie wants to keep it under wraps though, so we can use it to our advantage against the demons. I need you to not say anything to the rest of the clan."
"No problem, but if you want to use your command to guarantee it, I'm okay with that." Again, his response wasn't something I expected, but it seemed genuine so I decided not to use my Sire abilities to guarantee his silence. Besides, this could be the test that proved whether he was still under Meredith's influence or not.
As he followed me up into Evie's office, I began to wonder why Loraine wasn't here with Terrance now. She said that she always appeared when someone was specifically thinking of her, so I figured that's why she'd been drawn to Terrance so much lately. He was probably always thinking about her.
As I shut the bookcase behind us, I suddenly got the overwhelming feeling that something terrible had just happened. As we emerged from Evie's office into the club, I noticed Rose was standing in the middle of the room while everyone else was busy doing their usual prep work.
She was speaking on her cell phone, and in the next moment Loraine appeared above her with a terrified look on her face. Rose threw her phone across the room and it smashed to pieces against the far wall. Then she let out a scream that was so loud, it had everyone frozen in shock.
I watched in horror as the love of my life started throwing chairs and upending tables in a fit of rage I never thought her capable of. "Rose, my god, what's wrong?"
When she spun in my direction, my heart dropped into my stomach. Her eyes were glowing a fiery red.
Time stood still as Loraine explained to me that yes, Rose and Jeremy were both demons, but that they'd only found out recently, and that's why Rose had been pulling away. She wanted to protect me and my clan by leaving. She continued to fill me in on why Rose's anger had finally been released; Jeremy was choosing to stay with Meredith because she was pregnant with his child. Their demon child.
The next bit of divine knowledge I received was from my own psychic abilities. I knew unequivocally that turning Rose was the only thing I could do. To save her, to save us, to save her dad.
Without a moment's hesitation, I flew across the room and sunk my teeth into her neck. Everything started to become hazy as I heard Evie scream in the background. "Christian, NO!!!"
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Decision
(Christian)
I always knew Rose would become my consort, but what I didn't know until the decision was made, was that by turning her...she would also become our hybrid.
As I drank from Rose, bringing her to the brink of death, all my thoughts were fuzzy from the effect her blood was already starting to have on me.
I knew for Rose to become my consort I needed to perform the consort ceremony while delivering the sedative of eternal life. So as I settled into my subconscious, I began to think the words that would seal our consort bond, layering them with my Sire command. "Your life to me, my life to you, through this bond our love is true. Whatever shall come, we share in whole. Life to death, eternity our goal." I felt the scanning ability snap into place for Rose as I fell to the ground with her in my arms.
* * * * *
(Rose)
After leaving Christian behind in Evie's office, I started to help set up the tables and chairs in the club. Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrating and looked down to see my dad's number.
The relief I felt was so overwhelming that I snapped the phone open, buzzing with excitement. "Dad. You're alright?"
"Yes, Rose. I'm fine."
"Oh, thank god. I was so worried that crazy bitch would hurt you when you told her you were leaving. Are you on your way to The Rising Pit now?"
A knot in my stomach started to form when the line remained silent for just a little too long. "Rose, I need you to listen to me, baby. I know this will be hard to understand, but...I'm staying with Meredith. We're having a baby."
No words could flow past the anger now rising within me. I knew without a doubt Meredith had somehow tricked my dad into staying with her. That bitch is going to pay.
I didn't even bother hanging up the phone, but instead threw it across the room and watched it smash into tiny pieces. I knew this was the end for me as I couldn't control my demon side any longer. I started seeing red as I threw chairs and smashed tables. I didn't care if everyone knew, because the second I left here, I'd be going to kill Meredith and would probably never return anyway.
Suddenly from behind me I heard Christian's voice. "Rose, my god, what's wrong?"
I spun around, trying to catch my breath and stared at him with my glowing red eyes. Even though I was angry, the sight of him had me wishing I had time to explain and apologize for everything. But I didn't.
Everyone was staring at me, and just as I prepared to run for the door, Christian was flying at me with his vampire speed. The next thing I knew was the feeling of his fangs sinking into my neck as I heard Evie scream, "Christian, NO!!!"
I had no control over my body going limp as the man I loved drank the life from me. Suddenly I heard Christian's voice layering my mind. "Your life to me, my life to you, through this bond our love is true. Whatever shall come, we share in whole. Life to death, eternity our goal."
As I started to take my last breath, I felt a strange snap in my mind as we fell to the floor. The last thing I heard was Christian's voice in my head. "Rose, I forgive you."
Look for other books in The Rose Trilogy
at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and other online vendors
Scent of a White Rose - Book 1
(Available Now)
Roses & Thorns - Book 1.5
(Available Now)
Death of a Black Rose - Book 3
(Available September 18, 2012)
by
Tish Thawer
Praise for Scent of a White Rose
"...everything about Scent of a White Rose was such a fresh new concept when it came to vampires, actually it was just a whole new concept in general for the paranormal genre! This is a read any paranormal lover should read!" ~ YA-Aholic
"Tish adds her own unique spin that makes Rose and Christian's story intriguing. The plot twists will definitely have you turning the pages to see what is going to happen next." ~ The Book Lovers Realm
"Scent of a White Rose is not the plain Jane girl meets vampire and falls in love story...I will tell you that you should add this book to your TBR list." ~ The Book Nympho
"Thawer managed what I thought was an impossible feat. She was able to put yet another new spin on the age old vampire tale." ~ The Bookshelf Sophisticate
Praise for Roses & Thorns
"I totally fell in love with the characters, the action, the writing style, the plot..." ~ Proserpine Craving Books
"If you're a romantic at heart you'll love this forbidden vampire romance filled with emotion and enchanting characters. Roses & Thorns is the perfect follow up to the first book in the Rose Trilogy..." ~ Romancing the Darkside
"I have lost count of all the things I love about this short story. The imagery she used to describe the tender relationship between Rose and her mother Loraine is breathtaking. It is truly heartwarming and will leave you wanting more." ~ The Booklovers Realm